That’s right, mirrors. Dr. Jack Tsao, a Navy neurologist with the Uniform Services University remembered reading a paper in grad school which concluded that using a mirror to cast a reflection of the amputee’s remaining limb – which the amputee flexes and moves – tricks the brain into thinking the missing limb is still present. This is an incredibly important treatment discovery since phantom pain is rarely cured or effectively controlled with medication. What’s more, a staggering 95 percent of amputees experience some form of phantom limb pain.

While no one really knows the exact cause behind phantom limb pain, current thinking is that the neurons which control leg movement are still in place, but in the absence of a limb, become “confused”, and fire randomly. The brain receives mismatched signals between those visual neurons (which know the leg is not there) and the neurons in charge of the body’s ability to sense a limb’s positioning (which thinks the limb is still there), and somehow the brain is not able to sort these conflicting messages out. The result is a sensation that the limb is frozen or in pain.

So far, Dr. Tsao has treated over 550 amputees, with 100 to 125 patients there any given day.

It’s so great to hear stories like this and to know that sometimes science and health can actually be simple.

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Post from: Healthbolt